Trials and Tribulations
by KenyaCalico7743
Summary: Two unlikely entities meet in the one place that makes them stronger, at the doorstep to hell. One due to death, the other forced to live it. Can time and strife test these two in their bonds of friendship and love? Or will it all fall to dust? Read to find out! An OC Story of Rise of the Guardians, first chapter takes place 10 years before Jack was made a Guardian.


**Heya guys it's me again! I just happen to watch rise of the guardians a few weeks back and I absolutely loved it. I first had inspiration to do something for Jack, which I still plan to do, but then I came up with this little bunch which I really like. Be prepared though, for I plan to have the characters go through a lot here. Part of this is in tribute to my dog that had lymphoma and may have her last Christmas this year so please send a small prayer for her. As for the story itself, it tells of a strong bond that test both time and friendship between Bunnymund and one girl who struggles with her life, nameless and to the breaking point. I hope you all find this interesting. Comment please to see if I need to continue this. **

Year 2000

November 20th, five days til thanksgiving

On a farm outside of Waimarie New Zealand in the middle of nowhere, a large red pickup truck comes around carrying a large bear trap attached to the back. On the driver side, a scarily thin man with a black beard as thick and unkempt as Lancewood brush carrying a sly smile to match. His eyes were grey and lifeless as foliage after a wildfire with groggily wrinkled skin to compliment such a look of death and demise. He stepped out of the vehicle to show his thick boned body with his wide chest under a blue ragged shirt and long round legs hidden by roughed up, patched overalls. With his 30-06 rife slung around his chest, he made his way to the trap and banged it a few times to make the creature inside scurry and move.

"Yeah you better be moving in there ya bum-bag! I want ya alive so that I can skin ya and make ya a nice scruff for me Shelia!" said the man.

After he said that, two men, about the ages of 22 and 24, came over and helped in unloading the trap.

"What kin'o bear you get this time?" asked one of them.

"Ain't no bear in there, but definitely worth making into something nice. Take a look!" said the man, proud of himself.

The 22 year old opened the barred end and looked inside to see a rather large grey and white rabbit-like creature with green eyes that were wide with fear. The man also saw brown leather armor-like items on the rabbit's arm-paws, leg-paws, and a sash across his chest carrying two boomerangs on his back. The rabbit had tints and splotches of red all along his coat from trying to escape and rolling around in the cage along the rocky road.

The rabbit then scowled at the young man and spoke, much to the human's surprise, "You better let me out of here mate or I'll-" he was cut off by the man with the rifle banging hard on the side of the cage.

"Aw shut up you piece of dipstick trash! Soon you won't even be talking so it's best if ya zip that rabbit hole of yours!" he shouted after banging a few more times, making the rabbit's ears go flat against his head and shake like crazy.

Later that night, the rabbit was placed in an 8 by 7 by 6 foot cage (not too big for a rabbit his size, he can't even stand) and given meals of rotten vegetables and animal fat. He was given water, except it was brown tinted, not wanting to know what was in it.

"Oh, how could this happen? I knew I should have taken the tunnels, no thanks to North's stupid snow globe" he muttered to himself, thinking of how he got himself in this situation in the first place.

Flashback Bunny's POV

I woke up with a strange feeling in my feet earlier that morning that was painful when my foot was on the ground. Tooth decided to look and saw that I had splinters in my feet from the wood at North's fireplace. She suggested that I don't use my feet for the tunnels until they were better, but I couldn't wait that long to head back to the warren. True, Easter wasn't for another few months, but I still had things to attend to while waiting for the big day. I decided to try one of North's snow globes, as much as I hated it, to try to get back to the warren. Little did I know about the large crack that was hidden from view as I tossed it on the floor. After seeing what I thought was the warren, I lept through, only to find myself in a place I had never seen before. It was green yes, but not like the green that I remember. This was a deeper forest green, more dark and mysterious. It also had a weird smell to it, almost like rotten carcasses in a nearby swamp. I moved around slowly and saw something like a cave, it was getting dark tonight and I needed to find shelter so I took the chance. Little did I know that once I stepped inside the cave, a string triggered some sort of contraption and locked me inside. I freaked out, trying to break loose, only to end up hurting myself in the process and send off some sort of signal proclaiming my capture. About an hour after I was captured, I hear a motor come through the woods and stop, tail lights shining right in my face. I saw a silhouette of a man looking in and hooking the trap to the back of his truck.

"Hey, umm, excuse me, could you let me out? I'm not supposed to be here-" I was interrupted by the loud banging from the trap from the front.

"Rack off that mouth you bloody rubbish! You're coming with me to be skinned weather you like it or not, talking hare!" he shouted as he continued to bang the cage, leaving me scared and the sound of the cage banging rattling in my ears.

End flashback

The pooka was curled up in the corner, about to let sleep get the better of him until he heard a scream and the barn doors being kicked open. He lowered himself to make things appear like he was sleeping when a small form was tossed to the floor. It was a young child around the same age as Jamie Bennett, Sophie Bennett's older brother, her mid-shoulder dark strawberry blond hair entangled with hay and straw, apricot skin covered in bruises and scrapes with one large slash down her back, which was showing due to her lack of clothing. All of the sudden, the man who captured Bunny came in with a whip in his hand and a look of death with a smirk of evil.

"You're back where you belong trash-heap! Down with the animals!" he said as he took the whip and gave the young child several lashes to the back, not caring for the child to yelp in pain and hold her hands defensively. Bunny's eyes widened at the scene, thinking that he should do something, but not sure what. Then, with instinct taking over, he stood up to the side of the cage and shouted just as the man was to deliver another blow.

"Rack off you bloody dipstick! Leave her alone!" shouted the rabbit with anger and pain.

The man then looked at Bunny and send his whip at him too, hitting the rabbit hard in the nose, "Naff off you overgrown bloody snarler! I do what I want with this kid, oh wait, ankle biter my arse!" he said as he brought down another blow to the child.

Suddenly the wife came in and grabbed the whip, telling her husband to stop what he's doing. He runs out after her to head inside to let off some steam, leaving the rabbit with a bloody nose and the lifeless-appearing body in the middle of the hay-based floor. Worried to death about the girl, Bunny leans on the edge of the cage and whispers as loud as he can.

"Hey, pssst! Shelia, you alright? Can you hear me?" he asked many questions before receiving a response of a look from the nine year old. Her violet-grey eyes meet his emerald green ones, looking at him with pain and fear.

"Can you hear me?" he asked, answered with a shake of her head.

"Can you speak?" he asked, hoping that she would speak.

"y-yes" she stammered. (I imagine her having the voice of young Faline, from Bambi 2) Her voice didn't sound at all like it was from here, it sounded more American.

"Who…Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaky as she attempted to stand, looking to be about mid-stomach high against Bunnymund.

"My name's E. Aster Bunnymund, what's yours mate?" he asked, trying to cheer her up.

He noticed that her face turned to determined protection as she looked to the door and moved off to the back of the barn to a small area. Bunny couldn't see what was happening, confused that she didn't answer his question.

"To answer your question, I don't have a name other than trash-heep, but I don't even like being called that. So for now, just call me Shelia, as in the Shelia that's going to get the both of us out of this dump so you can escape. I'll probably be caught again seeing as I can't get away from this place and haven't gotten away for three years now. I'm hoping someday to return, but so far no luck" she said as Bunny heard random noises coming from the corner.

She then appeared fully dressed in a grey turtle-neck, loose gripping black pants, heavy duty hiking boots, a brown tattered jacket and a sash across her chest like Bunnymunds except it was just plain brown leather with one opening carrying a dagger. Her hair was up in a ponytail, unkempt and scraggly with a few stragglers around her face, some thin strands settling in front of her eyes.

Once she made sure that everything was secure on her, she moved to the cage where Bunny was kept and started to pick the lock. After a good minute, the lock finally fell to the ground with a thud and the squeaky cage door opened.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" shouted the young girl as she motioned Bunny to follow. The two made it to the door to see if the coast was clear and sure enough the lights were out, making escape easy. To make sure that they wouldn't be followed by the hounds, the two covered themselves with hay oil, made by the wife of the man to sell for incense, and made their way out quietly to be undetected.

Once at a far enough distance, the two made a break for it, with the young blonde following close behind Bunnymund, who wasn't running all that fast. In the woods, the girl tripped on a few rocks and twisted her ankle, forcing the party to stop.

"Go on without me, I'll probably be caught again. You have a better chance of making it to Westport than me. That's the one way ticket out of anywhere here" she said, examining her ankle.

Bunny couldn't believe what he was hearing. Here's this child wanting to get away only to get herself hurt so she can be caught again. He, however, was not about to let her go back to her troubled life. He moved down to her level and picked her up, careful of her ankle. He then placed her on his back making sure that her feet were around his chest.

"Hold on tight mate, it's going to be a bumpy ride" he warned as he then took off like a rocket into the night through mountain and meadow until they came across a small stream that lead to the ocean. Looking around, Bunny noticed a cave nearby. The Shelia asked to be put down and she received her flashlight to see if the cave was abandoned, which it was.

An hour had passed and a fire was lit inside the cave. Bunny was looking over his feet to see if he can remove any of the splinters, but had no such luck. The young girl noticed this and decided to move over to see what the problem was.

"Can't get them out?" she asked looking at his feet, gently touching them, careful not to poke any back in.

"Yeah, my…my paws are a bit big.." Bunny said, embarrassed.

The young girl laughed and retrieved a small black pouch from her satchel that was around her waist and received a pair of tweezers and a small needle. Bunny widened his eyes and took in a sharp breath as she looked at him with concern. Her eyes went down and looked side to side before her eyebrows raised and pulled out a handkerchief from her jacket.

She rolled it up into a small folded napkin shape and handed it to him, "Here, bite on this, it'll help prevent your teeth from grinding and breaking" she said.

Bunny took it and placed the cloth right in his mouth, preparing for the worst. Honestly, thanks to the girl's cautious and careful process, he hardly felt any pain from the needle, only from when the air moved back into his feet did he feel any pain.

"Better?" she asked the large rabbit and he nodded in return.

"Thanks doc" he replied, receiving a laugh from the girl as she put her stuff away. "What's your name anyway?" he asked.

"I told you already that it's Trash-heep, only because it's what he called me. But honestly, I don't know my real name, and I don't think I ever will know what it is. I would love to have a different name that means something, but I don't know what to call myself since I have been abused for the past three years" she said as she moved to the entrance of the cave. "What does the E in your name stand for anyway?" she asked as she turned to Bunnymund.

"Uhhhh…I'd…rather not say, you'll probably laugh" he replied looking away in embarrassment.

She then turned her body and crossed her arms with a stern look of challenge, "try me" she said.

Bunny raised his ears in surprise and looked at her wide-eyed at her challenge. He lowered his ears again and looked to the side to think for a minute and then looked at her again, eyes slightly narrowed as he looked her straight in the eye. He took a deep breath before responding.

"It's Edelmar" he said, bracing himself for the laughs that would follow, but they never came.

Instead, the girl raised her eyebrows and eyes widen in slight surprise.

"Edelmar? Well, I wasn't expecting that. The English name meaning Noble and/or Famous. I wasn't expecting that at all. Wow, I love it" she said, smiling at the rabbit.

Bunny looked at her with surprise as well, not expecting her reaction.

"You really like my name?" he asked still in shock at her reaction.

She nodded her head in response, "I wish I had a name as rare and unique as that" she said, still smiling.

He looked at her and started to feel bad. To be a child without a name, that has to be worse than being called a name to be made fun of. If he were in that situation, he would begin to wonder what he was and what he was meant to be. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the girl talking to him.

"Are you ok?" she asked with worry in her voice.

"Yeah mate, I'm fine, it's just…how can you stand not having a name?" he asked.

"I just know that someday I'm going to find someone who loves me and will take care of me and give me a name of my own that I can be proud of. As long as I keep that hope alive, I'll get through anything" she replied with a hint of sadness in tone.

Bunny thought about this for a bit and thought that in thanks for helping him get out of getting skinned, he would give her a name that she could feel alive and free with and also a name that she could be proud of owning.

He thought long and hard about a name, but the only names that he knew were of the Hebrew origin, since he was the spirit of Easter, both the fun and the religious holiday spirit.

'Hmmm, she doesn't look like an Abigail. She's too tomboyish to be a Rebecca, and definitely not a Katrina. I don't think a flower or spice name would suit her well, and I don't think she wants to be called after a food. But she did wish for a unique name. Hmmm…..' thought the rabbit as he looked at her hard. He then looked at her gaze and followed it to where he saw that she was looking at the moon. And then it hit him, the perfect name, one that symbolized their freedom and to symbolize her new birth. 'It's perfect' he thought to himself.

"The moon's a beauty, isn't it Levana?" he asked the girl. She then turned to him confused.

"Levana?" she asked tilting her head to the side.

"Well I gotta call ya something don't I? Levana, it means moon in Hebrew. I think it suits you well as a new birth and also to symbolize our escape under the full moon. What do you think?" he asked, a smirk on his lips.

The young girl thought hard about it and looked to him with a neutral look, "I love the name, but it's long to say isn't it?" she looked a little concerned about it.

The rabbit chuckled a little, "I figured you'd say that. So how about as a nickname I call you Lavi?" he suggested, his eyes soft.

"Lavi?" she thought about it with a finger on her chin and hummed a bit as she looked at the moon and then to Bunny. She then lifted her eyes up to her forehead and nodded in approval. "Alright, I'll stick to it. May take a while, but I think I'll catch on" she replied with a yawn.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh, alright ya ankle biter, time for bed" said Bunny as he chuckled.

"I'm not a kid you know. I'm nine, soon to be 10" she said.

"Really? When's your birthday?" he asked stifling a yawn.

"December 7th" she replied.

"Oh, well then it is soon isn't it? Well, I might have to make this escape quicker so you can find a loving family to call home" he said, yawning and laying back against the moss covered rock that he was laying on. "Ya coming to bed?" he asked.

"I will, I just have to do something" she said as she stood, "I'll be back in a few" she then made her way to the nearby river.

The young girl, now called Lavi, sat beside the river and looked up at the moon. Small tears were falling from her eyes as she began to sing a small song that she learned long ago.

**(This song is by Katethegreat19 for the vocals, Trevor Crookston is the composer, and ShadowLordArk is the lyric maker on YouTube. When anyone gets the chance, look up Katethegreat19's work on youtube. The song is called 'Sadness and Sorrow')**

_Tears Fall...but hope stays_

_Pick yourself up so we can find home someday..._

_Wishing...when this ends_

_we can live in peace and happiness again..._

_Death might surround us, but we can't lose hope_

_in everything we've fought for..._

_When we finally find peace we can go home_

_and throw away this sadness...and sorrow_

**(Again, credit to Katethegreat19, Trevor Crookston, and ShadowLordArk for making this amazing song. Please look them up)**

She then sent a small prayer to the moon, saying thanks for bringing Edelmar into her life and for him giving her name. She asks that he finds what he's looking for and that he gets home, wherever that may be, wishing and praying for the best. Also, she asks him that the journey ahead be smooth and quick, to get away from the monsters who called her trash-heep. She will never return to them.

Lavi made her way back to the cave and curled up next to Bunny's soft fur while covering them both with the blanket she brought for them. Soon, Bunny's soft and rhythmic breathing lulled her off to sleep, a smile on her face in thanks for her new, fuzzy guardian angel.

**Huh? So, what did you all think? Should I continue this? Please please PLEASE comment telling me if I should or not. Thanks again and look for more ahead. **


End file.
